Effect of phosphogypsum application and bacteria co-inoculation on biochemical properties and nutrient availability to maize plants in a saline soil

ABSTRACT

Phosphogypsum (PG), which contains Ca, P and S and has an acidic effect, may be applied to manage soil constraints such as alkalinity and salinity. For increasing nutrients bioavailability, biofertilizers are commonly applied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess PG effect either alone or in combination with the mixed co-inoculation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria on a saline soil. In a greenhouse pot experiment with maize (Zea mays L.), the inoculated and non-inoculated saline soils were treated with PG at 10 g kg⁻¹ (PG10), 30 g kg⁻¹ (PG30), and 50 g kg⁻¹ (PG50). The soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC_e), and macro-(NPK) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu) availability to mays were examined. Applying PG reduced soil pH and co-inoculation induced significant decreases in soil EC_e. Applying PG increased significantly soil available P. Applying PG combined with co-inoculation effectively increased the soil available K. The soil available micronutrients decreased significantly with PG. However, the inoculated maize treated with PG showed significant higher dry weight (82.1–127.4%) and nutrients uptake than the control. It could be concluded that PG along with co-inoculation may be an important approach for alleviating negative effects of salinity on plant growth.

KEYWORDS:

• Soil amendment
• biofertilizers
• arid condition
• salinity

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a project funded by the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Award Number (12-ENV2917-02).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Plan for Science, Technology, and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Award Number (12-ENV2917-02).